Senior Director of Manufacturing

Peak Energy•Burlingame, CA

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director of Manufacturing owns the end-to-end manufacturing strategy and execution for Peak's sodium-ion battery systems as they move from pilot through giga-scale commercial production. This role will lead manufacturing engineering, manufacturing operations, process development, facilities, equipment, yield, and ramp readiness across the full BESS stack, spanning the Burlingame pilot operation and the Sacramento manufacturing facility. This position is crucial as Peak is in a consequential operational moment with imminent first commercial customer deliveries, multi-year supply contracts landing, and the production system built over the next eighteen months will define the company's cost structure, ramp velocity, and ability to meet grid-scale demand through 2027 and beyond. The role requires partnering closely with engineering, supply chain, and the commercial team to bring product to market and establish the supporting production system. The individual will inherit a strong technical bench and an ambitious roadmap, with the autonomy to build the necessary manufacturing organization. This is a builder role, requiring the ability to move from in-the-weeds problem-solving to board-level planning and a desire to own outcomes and manage the process.

Requirements

10+ years in battery, semiconductor, or other high-volume precision manufacturing, with a clear track record of progressive leadership scope.
Direct experience scaling from pilot to GWh-level (or equivalent) production with documented yield, cost, and ramp outcomes.
Demonstrated success building and leading manufacturing engineering organizations of 50+, including process, equipment, and quality functions.
Hands-on fluency with lean manufacturing, SPC, FMEA, Six Sigma, and modern factory operating systems.
Experience operating in early-commercialization environments where the playbook is still being written.
BS or MS in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
Strong commercial instincts and a clear point of view on what drives cost per kWh and where the points of leverage are.
Comfort with the ambiguity, intensity, and pace of a growth-stage, venture-backed company.

Nice To Haves

Direct lithium-ion or sodium-ion cell or pack manufacturing experience at a commercial-scale facility.
Experience at a company that successfully made the leap from prototype to commercial product.
Familiarity with energy storage system integration, field deployment, and the realities of grid-connected operation.
Comfort using modern AI tools in day-to-day workflow, we operate with Claude as a company-wide platform and reward leaders who use these tools to compound their leverage.

Responsibilities

Lead the manufacturing engineering and process development organization through the ramp from pilot to giga-scale production.
Define and execute the production ramp plan, including equipment specification, line layout, yield curves, and cost-down roadmap across the Burlingame and Sacramento sites.
Build and develop a world-class manufacturing leadership bench spanning process engineering, equipment, quality, automation, and facilities.
Partner with engineering to drive design-for-manufacturing into the product roadmap from day one, not as a downstream cleanup exercise.
Own manufacturing KPIs end-to-end: throughput, yield, OEE, cost per kWh, and safety performance.
Drive process maturity from pilot-scale engineering handoffs into stable, repeatable, audit-ready production for commercial customer shipments.
Establish and manage strategic relationships with equipment OEMs, automation partners, and consumables suppliers.
Represent manufacturing in executive forums, board updates, and customer and investor due diligence.